Readers' comments

Has he really given up on the flat tax? The declared policy of raising the minimum threshold while lowering the higher rate tax threshold to compensate is moving slowly in that direction. In fact a flat tax combined with a high threshold is very progressive. As income increases so does the average tax rate but without the disincentive of step changes in the marginal rate. The trouble is that very few politicians and journalists are numerate enough to understand this.

I think Osborne is just a right-wing ideologue, no more, no less. However, in light of Cameron's lack of any actual beliefs, other than wanting to be PM, he has started to look like a man with ideas. In fact his lack of political nuance - or obsession with winning as you call it - is a problem and has led to a one-dimensional economics strategy that is killing UK consumer confidence.

"Committed as he is to austerity, in his budget Mr Osborne is likelier to reform taxes than to cut them."
I presume that includes introducing a fuel duty stabiliser to moderate the impact of further oil price rises while not going as far as vigorously and painstakingly engineering a strategy to ease the burden of the already excessive prices which may already be sounding the death knell for many of those businesses which he is relying on to help get Britain back into positive growth again. Those very same businesses which didn't spring up overnight.

@TMmCahal - I stand corrected: in the poll after the debate 36% supported Cable with 32% supporting Osborne. IIRC commentators with economic expertise almost all thought that Osborne had done best, though.

His brilliance shone through in the pre-election chancellor debates that preceded the prime-ministerial debates. He quietly demolished Alistair Darling (Vince Cable looked well out of his depth IMO). In contrast, David Cameron failed to outshine Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown until the last of the 3 Prime Ministerial debates - by which time it was too late.